Operating mechanism



March 27, 1945. LESHER 2,372,503

OPERATING MECHANISM Filed March 10, 1944 Figl.

Inventor": William C. Lesher,

His tborney Patented Mar. 27, 1945 OPERATING MECHANISM William C. Lesher, Pittsfield, Mass., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March 10, 1944, Serial No. 525,847

8 Claims.

My invention relates to operating mechanisms for electrical cutouts, and more particularly to a gang operating mechanism for a group of oil filled cutouts used to protect the several phases of an electrical circuit. Specifically my invention is an improvement on United States Letter Patent 1,953,812, Lincks et al., assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

Oil fuse cutouts are often used to protect or switch electric circuits. If it becomes necessary to make repairs on a polyphase circuit or apparatus protected by oil fuse cutouts, it is common practice toopen the circuit by removing the fuse carrier from each of the cutouts or by turning the several fuse carriers to a position where the terminals thereof no longer engage or make contact with the respective circuit terminals. Prior to the invention covered by the above mentioned Lincks et al. patent, such a method of interruption necessitated the breaking of the circuit by steps, that is, by opening one phase at a time since each cutout was installed as a separate individual unit having no connection whatever with the other cutouts. Opening of the circuit in this manner was undesirable since it sometimes caused an unbalancing of the load so as to throw an overload on the conductors still in closed circuit to cause either a blowing of the fuses in the closed cutouts or to cause dangerous arcs'to be drawn when they were opened. In accordance with the above mentioned Lincks et al. patent, the fuse carriers of the cutout in the several phases of a circuit were interlocked in such a manner that the opening of one phase conductor of the circuit by rotating or moving the fuse carrier in any one cutout would simultaneously rotate the fuse carriers in all of the other cutouts.

The means for causing simultaneous operation of all of the cutouts should be detachably connected to each fuse carrier to permit ready replacement and removal of each one of the fuse carriers individually without the use of any tools.

It is an object of my invention, therefore, to prow'de a new and improved operating mechanism including an easily detachable joint which i inexpensive and yet provides a quick, easily detachable means with no loose or separable parts and which may be detached without the use of any tools whatever.

It is another object of my invention to provide a new and improved operating mechanism for electric circuit controlling devices.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following de scription proceeds and the feature of novelty rality of oil filled cutouts; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view partly in section of a portion of the operating mechanism of my invention; Fig. 3 i a perspective view of the operating mechanism shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a looking bar used in connection with the mechanism of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, I have illustrated three independent oil fuse cutouts generally indicated as 10, II and [2. The specific construction of these cutouts forms no part of the present invention. Preferably these cutouts are constructed in accordance with the disclosures of United States Letters Patent 1,248,090, Downes et al., and comprise an oil filled tank within which are mounted a pair of circuit terminals. These terminals are adapted to be engaged by contacts supported on a rotatable driven element specifically indicated as fuse carrier I3. The circuit within each of the fuse cutouts H), II and I2 may be completed or broken by rotation of the fuse carrier [3 in a manner well understood by those skilled in the art, particularly when reference is had to the above mentioned patent. Since these cutouts are commonly applied to three-phase circuits, three independent cutout are illustrated. Preferably fuse cutouts III, I I and i2 are mounted on a suitable framework M by any suitable means, as indicated at l5.

In order that the rotatable driven elements specifically comprising the fuse carriers 13 may be simultaneously rotated when any one of the fuse carriers is rotated, I have provided each fuse carrier with an arm member I 6, best shown in Figs.

2 and 3. One end of each arm member [6 has welded or otherwise suitably attached thereto a U-shaped member ll adapted to be suitably fastened to the associated fuse carrier [3 as indicated at l-8.

My improved gang operating mechanism also includes a free floating longitudinally movable driving member I9 comprising a channel-shaped rod which is adapted to extend from the arm member I6 of cutout 10 to the arm member I'B of cutout I2. Driving member l9 must be detachably connected with the respective arm members IS in order that any one of the fuse carriers 13 may readily be removed to replace a fusible element or the like. In accordance with my invention, this detachable connection comprises a pin and cooperating opening, one associated with the arm member-and the other with the driving member. As illustrated, the driving member i9 i provided with a plurality of spaced upwardly extendin pins 28 each adapted to be inserted in a cooperating opening 2l' provided in each of the arm members l6. It should be understood that instead of an opening such as 21, a particular configuration of arm In order to maintain the pin and cooperating opening in operative engagement, I provide a' generally L-shaped straddling bar 22 for each arm member Hi, the base of the L being designated as 22'. A large rectangular opening 23- is provided in the portion 22' of straddling bar 22 so that the straddling bar may be slidable on its' [6 might provide the same result.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that my invention isnot limited to the particular construction shown, but various changes and modifications may be made without departing adapted to be connected in an electric circuit, a

rotatable fuse carrier including a fusible element provided for each cutout and adapted upon rotajecting extension l6 of theassociated armmember it which isremote from the. end fastened to the associated fuse carrier l3. When the straddling bar 22 is in the position indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, the weight .of the straddling bar 22 and the driving member l9tends to hold the projections 24 of each straddlin member 22 in openings-25 of associated arm members Hi and thus provides a sort of latching arrangement for the detachable connections between driving member l9 and arm member 16.

With this arrangement it is obvious that driving member 19 may be detached' from any arm member it by merely lifting: the projection 26 of the associated straddling bar. 22 out of opening 25 and sliding the straddling bar along arm meme ber It to the dotted position indicated in Fig. 2, whereby the'end22" thereof moves out of. opening'26. Not only are no tools:of any kind required to detach the arm and driving members,

but thereare no loose parts to become misplaced or lost since each'straddling bar 22 remains on its associated arm member l6.

In certain cases it may be desirable to lock the gang operating mechanism of my invention in either the open or the closed position. .To this end I provide a locking bar- 27', best shown in Fig. 4, which has a U-shaped end 2'? adapted to sup over one of the arm members it, as best shown in Fig. 1. A suitable padlock 28 extending through an opening 29 in looking bar 2'! and a cooperating opening in driving member l9 will securely hold the mechanism against any movement thereof. I 1

If desired, a suitable handle 30 mayob'elapplied to one of the arms-l6, as shown in Fig. 1, to cause rotation of the associated fuse carrier i3 and through my operating mechanism to cause simultaneous rotation of the fuse carriersof all of the cutouts m, H and I2.

In View of the detailed description included above, the operation of the apparatusembodying my invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and no further discussion will be included herein.

tion'thereof to 'make or break the circuit, means for causing simultaneous rotation of the fuse carriers ofall of said plurality of cutouts comprising a longitudinally movable driving member, an arm member for each of said fuse carriers interconnecting the associated fuse carrier with said driving member, means for causing longitudinal movement of said driving member, with conse quent rotation of each of said fuse carriers, means for detachably connecting said driving member and each of said arm members to permit ready replacement of the fusible element in any fuse carrier comprising means defining a first opening in each armmember adapted to receive a cooperating pin supported on said driving member, and a-straddling bar engageable with a pair of openings in said arm member to holdsaid pin in said first opening.

2. In combination, a longitudinally movable driving member, a rotatable element, means for detachably interconnecting said driving member and said rotatable element comprising an arm member, means forconnecting one end of said arm member with said rotatable element, and detachable means for normally maintaining the other end of said arm member and said driving member in connected relationship comprising a straddling. bar having its ends engageable with cooperating openings in one of said members.

3. In combination, a longitudinally movable driving member, a rotatable driven member, means for detachably interconnecting said driv ing and driven members comprising an arm, means for connecting one end of said arm with said driven member, means for detachably connecting the other end of said arm with said driving member comprising a pin and cooperating opening, one of which is associated with said driving member and the other with said arm, means for normally maintaining said pin'in said cooperating opening comprising a straddling member having its ends engageable with a pair of openings in said arm to hold said pin in said cooperating opening. I

9 4. In combination, a rotatable element, means comprising a freefioating longitudinally movable driving member, an arm member detachablycooperating with and supportingisaid driving member, said arm memberbeing. attached to said rotatable element, andmeans detachably cooperating with openings in one of said members and straddling said other member to support said operating with and supporting said driving mem-' ber, said arm member beingattached to said rotatable element, means detachably cooperating with openings in one of said members and straddling said other member to support said driving member in connected relationship with said arm member, and a projection on said last mentioned means cooperating with one of said openings in said one member so that the weight of said driving member will hold said last mentioned means in a position to maintain said arm member and driving member in connected relationship.

6. In combination, a plurality of cutouts adapted to be connected in an electric circuit, a rotatable fuse carrier including a fusible element provided for each cutout and adapted upon rotation thereof to make or break the circuit, means for causing simultaneous rotation of the fuse carriers of all of said plurality of cutouts comprising a longitudinally movable driving member, an arm member for each of said fuse carriers interconnecting the associated fuse carrier with said driving member, means for causing longitudinal movement of said driving member with consequent rotation of each of said fuse carriers, means for detachably connecting said driving member and each of said arm members to permit ready replacement of the fusible element in any fuse carrier comprising a pin on one of said members and a cooperating opening in the other of said members, and a straddling bar engageable with a pair of openings in one of said members to hold said pin in said cooperating opening.

7. In combination, a plurality of rotatable driven elements, an arm member attached to each of said driven elements, a free floating longitudinally movable driving member, arm means for detachably connecting said arm members and said driving member so the movement of one of said rotatable driven elements causes simultaneous movement of all of the other of said driven elements, means for holding said driving member in connected relationship with each of said arm members, and means employing the weight of said driving member for latching said last mentioned means into a position whereby said driving member is held in said connected relationship with each of said arm means,

8. In combination, a rotatable driven element, means comprising a free floating longitudinally movable driving member, an arm member detachably cooperating with and supporting said driving member, said arm member being attached to said rotatable element, and latching means non-detachably supported by one of said members and cooperating with both of said members to detachably support said driving member in connected relationship with said arm member.

WILLIAM C. LESHER. 

